Napoli boss banned for both Chelsea matches
Reuters - Thursday 16 February 2012, 17:07
Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri
will miss both legs of the Champions League round of 16 tie
against Chelsea after losing an appeal against his two-match ban
on Thursday, UEFA said in a statement.
Mazzarri, suspended in January, was sent off for pushing
rival forward Nilmar during the Group A match against Villarreal
on December 7, which his side won 2-0 to progress to the last 16 at
the expense of Manchester City.
The score was goalless at the time and Mazzarri later said
that his gesture calculated to try and shake up his own team.
UEFA said that its appeals tribunal partially admitted a
cross-appeal from UEFA's disciplinary inspector, who had asked
for a stiffer sentence.
Mazzarri's ban was lengthened to three matches although the
enforcement of the final game was suspended for a probationary
period of two years.
The 50-year-old coach will be barred from the touchline and
his team's dressing room for the matches against Chelsea on February
21 at home and March 14 away.
He is also prohibited from talking to his players and
technical staff before and during the match, even by phone.
Earlier this season, Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger was banned
for two European games for breaching the terms of a previous ban
by talking to his staff by mobile phone.